DOCSLIB.ORG

Report of the Committee of Inquiry Into Human Fertilisation and Embryology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Report of the Committee of Inquiry Into Human Fertilisation and Embryology REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY INTO HUMAN FERTILISATION AND EMBRYOLOGY ISBN 0 10 193140 9 Note about this PDF file version This document has been scanned using character reading software to make the text searchable. However, this is not 100% accurate. You will find that some words have not been recognised correctly. If you want to copy some of the text into another document, compare it to the original to ensure accuracy. 24 June 2008 Department of Health & Social Security REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY INTO HUMAN FERTILISATION AND EMBRYOLOGY Chairman:- Dame Mary Warnock DBE Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Social Services the Lord Chancellor the Secretary of State for Education and Science the Secretary of State for Scotland the Secretary of State for Wales the Secretary of Stare for Northern Ireland by Command of Her Majesty July 1984 LONDON HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE Reprinted 1988 £7.90 net. Cmnd. 9314 MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Dame Mary Warnock DBE Mistress of Girton College, MA B Phi1 (Chairman) Cambridge; Senior Research Fellow, St Hugh's College, Oxford. Mr Q S Anisuddin MA Legal Executive; Vice-President, UK Immigrants Advisory Service. Mr T S G Baker QC Recorder of the Crown Court. Dame Josephine Barnes Consulting Obstetrician and DBE FRCP FRCS FRCOG Gynaecologist, Charing Cross Hospital. Mrs M M Carriline MA Social Worker; Former Vice-Chairman of British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering. Dr D Davies MA PhD Director of the Dartington North Devon Trust. Professor A 0 Dyson MA Samuel Ferguson Professor of BD MATheol DPhil Social and Pastoral Theology, University of Manchester. Mrs N L Edwards OBE JP Chairman of Gwynedd Health BL SRN SCM Authority. Dr W Greengross MB BS General Practitioner; Chairman D Obst RCOG of Sexual and Personal Relations of the Disabled. Professor W G Irwin MB Head of Department of General BChir BA0 MD FRCGP Practice, Queens University D Obst RCOG Belfast. Professor J Marshal1 DSc Professor of Clinical Neurology, MD FRCP (London) FRCP Institute of Neurology Queen (Edin) DPM Square, London. Professor M C Macnaughton Professor of Obstetrics and MD FRCP (Glas) FRCOG Gynaecology, University of FRSE Glasgow. Dr A McLaren MA DPhil Director, Medical Research FRS Council Mammalian Development Unit. Mr D J McNeil WS Solicitor, Edinburgh. ii Professor K Rawnsley CBE Professor of Psychological MB ChB FRCPsych FRCP Medicine, Welsh National School DPM of Medicine. Mrs M J Walker JP MA Psychiatric social worker, former APSW student counsellor at Cambridge University. Joint Secretaries Mrs J C Croft Dr J S Metters Legal Adviser Mr R A Sanders Observers Dr M Hennigan, Scottish Home and Health Department Mr L Webb, Department of Education and Science iii The Rt Hon Norman Fowler Secretary of State for Social Services. The Lord Hailsham PC Lord Chancellor. The Rt Hon Sir Keith Joseph Secretary of State for Education and Science. The Rt Hon George Younger Secretary of State for Scotland. The Rt Hon Nicholas Secretary of State for Wales. Edwards The Rt Hon James Prior Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Sirs I have the honour to present the report of the Committee of Inquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology established in July 1982 to examine the social, ethical and legal implications of recent, and potential developments in the field of human assisted reproduction. The task you set the Inquiry was not an easy one. The issues raised reflect fundamental moral, and often religious, questions which have taxed philosophers and others down the ages. Rightly you chose a membership which encompassed not only the many professions with a concern in these matters but the many religious traditions within society, so that as many view- points as possible could be brought to bear on the morally sensitive issues before us. I would like to take this opportunity to place on record my gratitude to all the members of the In- quiry for their hard work, their enthusiasm and commitment, and more especially for the way they have brought their own values to the consideration of the problems before us and yet at the same time have been open and responsive to the attitudes and beliefs of others. 1 am also grateful for the way in which we have been able to share our professional expertise, a process which I am sure has enhanced the report, by helping us to see the problems in a broader perspective. Despite the way in which members have worked together, there remain nonetheless certain differences between us; indeed it would have been surprising if, on such sensitive issues, we had been united. These differences, presented in three formal expressions of dissent have, significantly, focussed on the very subjects, surrogacy and research on human embryos, which, to judge from the evidence, arouse the greatest public anxiety. Thus even in our disagreement we have reflected the range of views within society. It is not possible that a report like this should be equally well received in all quarters, given some of the controversial issues we have had to consider. There is bound to be criticism that we have gone too far, or not far enough. However, we have sought to provide on the one hand a reasoned discussion of the issues which we hope will contribute to a high standard of public debate on matters which are of deep concern to the public, and on the other a coherent set of proposals for how public policy, rather than the individual conscience, should res- pond to a range of developments which many people will not wish to participate in, but which others find entirely acceptable. We have tried in short, to give due consideration both to public and to private morality. Finally, I would like to add my thanks to those members of the Department who have helped us to produce our report. We have benefitted greatly from the advice of Mr R A Sanders on the legal aspects of our work, and his help has been indis- pensable. But our most grateful thanks must go to our joint secretaries, Mrs J C Croft and Dr J S Metters whose patience, humour and unflagging energy have been beyond praise. We could not have been better served. Mary Warnock 26 June 1984 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Chairman and members of the Committee of Inquiry would like to acknowledge their gratitude to the many indivi- duals and organisations in this country and abroad who gave so much of their time and effort to prepare evidence or to pro- vide detailed information on specific topics, in particular the many interesting people we met during our visit to Northern Ireland. We found these contributions immensely helpful in broadening and deepening our understanding of the subjects under consideration. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Chapter One The General Approach . Chapter Two Infertility: The Scope and Organi- sation of Services . Chapter Three Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility : Common Threads . Chapter Four Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility cont'd : I Artificial Insemination . Chapter Five Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility cont'd: I1 In Vitro Fertilisation . Chapter Six Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility cont'd : I11 Egg Donation. Chapter Seven Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility cont'd: IV Embryo Donation . Chapter Eight Techniques for the Alleviation of Infertility cont'd: V Surrogacy . Chapter Nine The Wider Use of these Techniques Chapter Ten The Freezing and Storage of Human Semen, Eggs and Embryos Chapter Eleven Human Embryos and Research . Chapter Twelve Possible Future Developments in Research . Chapter Thirteen Regulating Infertility Services and Research . List of Recommendations . Expressions of Dissent : A Surrogacy . B Use of Human Embryos in Research C Use of Human Embryos in Research . Appendix: List of those Submitting Evidence . Index . vii l. Our Inquiry was set up to examine, among other things, the ethical implications of new developments in the field. In common usage, the word "ethical" is not absolutely unambi- guous. It is often used in the context, for example, of medical or legal ethics, to refer to professionally acceptable practice. We were obliged to interpret the concept of ethics in a less restricted way. We had to direct our attention not only to future practice and possible legislation, but to the principles on which such practices and such legislation would rest. 2. Members of the Inquiry were reluctant to appear to dic- tate on matters of morals to the public at large. They were also keenly aware that no expression of their own feelings would be a credible basis for recommendations, even if they all felt exactly alike. As our reading of the evidence showed us, feelings among the public at large run very high in these matters; feel- ings are also very diverse; and moral indignation, or acute uneasiness, may often take the place of argument. But that moral conclusions cannot be separated from moral feelings does not entail that there is no such thing as moral reasoning. Reason and sentiment are not opposed to each other in this field. If, as we believe, it was our task to attempt to discover the public good, in the widest sense, and to make recommendations in the light of that, then we had, in the words of one philosopher, to adopt "a steady and general point of view". So, to this end, we have attempted in what follows to argue in favour of those positions which we have adopted, and to give due weight to the counter-arguments, where they exist. 3. Our emphasis on the arguments may make it appear that there was a uniformity of approach and moral feeling in the Inquiry. The reality however has been that our personal feelings and reactions have been as diverse as those presented in the evidence.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fertilisation and Moral Status: a Scientific Perspective
    Journal ofmedical ethics, 1987, 13, 173-178 J Med Ethics: first published as 10.1136/jme.13.4.173 on 1 December 1987. Downloaded from Fertilisation and moral status: a scientific perspective Karen Dawson Monash University, Australia Author's abstract begins with a spermatozoon, the male gamete, The debate about the moral status ofthe embryo hasgained penetrating the ovum or female gamete and culminates new impetus because of the advances in reproductive in the mingling of the genetic material from each to technology that have made early human embryo form a single-celled zygote. experimentation a possibility, and because of the public Historically, fertilisation was believed to be possible concern that this arouses. Severalphilosophical arguments only in the uterine or fallopian tubes of the female, claiming that fertilisation is the event that accords moral but recent medical advances resulting in many births status to the embryo were initiallyformulated in the context world-wide, have demonstrated that in vitro of the abortion debate. Were they formulated with fertilisation is also possible (3). Regardless of the sufficientprecision to accountforthe scientificfacts as we location of the process, its biological consequences are now understand them? Or do these arguments need the same: fertilisation restores the diploid chromosome three moralstatus number, enhances genetic variation, results in sex modification?Aspects of argumentsfor copyright. beingacquired atfertilisation are examined in relation to determination and is a necessary prerequisite for current scientific knowledge, highlighting the reasons why embryogenesis to proceed (4). such arguments, atpresent, seem toprovide an inadequate basis for the determination of moral status. Fertilisation and moral status: the arguments examined Advances in reproductive technology have made it technically possible for the early human embryo to be Arguments in support of fertilisation as the time at an experimental subject.
    [Show full text]
  • Section 6: Sex Cells and Fertilisation
    S ection 6: S ex Cells and Fertilisation U se the w ords in the w ord bank below to com plete the sentences below : S maller, vagina, anther, halved, fertilisation, nucleus, male, half, gametes, D N A , stigma, female, ovules, pollen, pollen tube, four, zygote, threadlike, one, identical, genes, amino acids, protein, function, meiosis, sex chromosomes, male S ome plants reproduce sexually. T he sexual parts are inside the flow ers. M ost flow ering plants have flow ers w ith both __ ___ __ and _ ___ __ parts. T hese sexual parts produce special sex cells called _ ____ ___ _. Label the diagram above. T he male part of a flow ering plant is called the ___ ___ ___ _ and produces __ ______. T he female part is called the _ ___ ___ _ and produces ovules. Pollen grains are __ ___ ____ and more numerous than ovules, w hich are larger. Fertilisation in flow ering plants occurs by pollen trains being transferred to the _ ___ ___ _. A _____ ___ __ _____then grow s dow n into the ovary and into an ovule. A male gamete then passes dow n the tube and fuses w ith egg cell. T his process is called 1 __ __________. T he fertilised egg is now called a ___ ___ __. Fertilisation produces variety in the offspring because genetically identical gametes form in different w ays, producing different combinations. S exual Reproduction In H umans Label the follow ing diagrams: 2 In humans, fertilisation takes place in the oviduct.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex-Specific Spawning Behavior and Its Consequences in an External Fertilizer
    vol. 165, no. 6 the american naturalist june 2005 Sex-Specific Spawning Behavior and Its Consequences in an External Fertilizer Don R. Levitan* Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, a very simple way—the timing of gamete release (Levitan Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1100 1998b). This allows for an investigation of how mating behavior can influence mating success without the com- Submitted October 29, 2004; Accepted February 11, 2005; Electronically published April 4, 2005 plications imposed by variation in adult morphological features, interactions within the female reproductive sys- tem, or post-mating (or pollination) investments that can all influence paternal and maternal success (Arnqvist and Rowe 1995; Havens and Delph 1996; Eberhard 1998). It abstract: Identifying the target of sexual selection in externally also provides an avenue for exploring how the evolution fertilizing taxa has been problematic because species in these taxa often lack sexual dimorphism. However, these species often show sex of sexual dimorphism in adult traits may be related to the differences in spawning behavior; males spawn before females. I in- evolutionary transition to internal fertilization. vestigated the consequences of spawning order and time intervals One of the most striking patterns among animals and between male and female spawning in two field experiments. The in particular invertebrate taxa is that, generally, species first involved releasing one female sea urchin’s eggs and one or two that copulate or pseudocopulate exhibit sexual dimor- males’ sperm in discrete puffs from syringes; the second involved phism whereas species that broadcast gametes do not inducing males to spawn at different intervals in situ within a pop- ulation of spawning females.
    [Show full text]
  • The Protection of the Human Embryo in Vitro
    Strasbourg, 19 June 2003 CDBI-CO-GT3 (2003) 13 STEERING COMMITTEE ON BIOETHICS (CDBI) THE PROTECTION OF THE HUMAN EMBRYO IN VITRO Report by the Working Party on the Protection of the Human Embryo and Fetus (CDBI-CO-GT3) Table of contents I. General introduction on the context and objectives of the report ............................................... 3 II. General concepts............................................................................................................................... 4 A. Biology of development ....................................................................................................................... 4 B. Philosophical views on the “nature” and status of the embryo............................................................ 4 C. The protection of the embryo............................................................................................................... 8 D. Commercialisation of the embryo and its parts ................................................................................... 9 E. The destiny of the embryo ................................................................................................................... 9 F. “Freedom of procreation” and instrumentalisation of women............................................................10 III. In vitro fertilisation (IVF).................................................................................................................. 12 A. Presentation of the procedure ...........................................................................................................12
    [Show full text]
  • KS3 Science: Year 7 Module Five: Reproduction, Acids and Alkalis, Light
    KS3 Science: Year 7 Module Five: Reproduction, Acids and Alkalis, Light Lesson Seventeen Biology: Human Reproduction Aims By the end of this lesson you should: know the structures and function of the human male and female reproductive systems understand how the developing foetus is fed and protected inside the mother understand the key differences between reproduction in humans and other mammals know the stages of the human life cycle Context This lesson builds on the study of reproduction in Lesson Thirteen, and considers reproduction in human beings. Oxford Home Schooling 1 Lesson Seventeen Human Reproduction Introduction As we saw in Lesson Thirteen, humans are mammals and share their pattern of reproduction. The key features of this are: reproduction is sexual (not asexual) involving the fusion of gametes (eggs and sperms) fertilisation is internal (not external) happening inside the female’s body there is well-developed parental care, so the offspring are more likely to survive to become adults. This includes the embryo being carried inside the mother for protection during its early life. In this chapter we shall look at the details of human reproduction, which is basically the same as that of other mammals, following the whole process through to the production of a new adult. Male and Female Reproductive Systems You need to know the parts of the reproductive systems of a man and a woman, and the function of each – the job each does in producing the new offspring. Given below are the “official” names for the parts – the correct name to use if you discuss them with your doctor.
    [Show full text]
  • Iodine Compounds and Fertilisation Iv
    238 IODINE COMPOUNDS AND FERTILISATION IV. CAPACITY FOR FERTILISATION IN WASHED AND UNRIPE EGGS OF ECHINUS ESCULENTUS AND ECHINUS MILIARIS BY G. S. CARTER, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. (From the Laboratory of Experimental Zoology, Cambridge, and the Marine Laboratory, Millport.) (Received 16th December, 1931.) WASHED EGGS. IT has been shown (Carter, 1931 b) that eggs of Echinus escidentus and E. miliaris which are being washed in a current of sea-water remain fertilisable for a longer time if thyroxine is present in the water of the current. In his investigation of the egg secretions and the part they play in the fertilisation of the egg, Lillie (1914) showed that the rapid decay of echinoderm eggs exposed to a current of sea-water is due to the diffusion of the secretions from the surface of the eggs, and particularly to the loss of one component of the secretions which is essential to the activation of the eggs ("fertilizin"). In view of his work, the results of the previous paper strongly suggest that the manner in which thyroxine acts in prolonging the life of washed eggs is by penetrating the surface of the eggs and causing a change in the cytoplasm by means of which the supply of fertilizin within the egg is main- tained for a longer time. The probability that it acts in this way is increased by the evidence given in the earlier papers of this series (1930, 1931 a), where it was shown that the egg secretions and thyroxine act so similarly in other phenomena that it is probable that thyroxine is chemically related to some substance present in the secretions.
    [Show full text]
  • Embryogenesis Begins During Oogenesis
    7th Workshop Mammalian Folliculogenesis and Oogenesis ESHRE Campus symposium Stresa, Italy 19 ‐ 21 April 2012 ‘Acquisition of the oocyte developmental competence’ Maurizio Zuccotti Embryogenesis begins during oogenesis mRNA degradation during the early stages of development Embryonic genome activation Mouse: 2-cell Human: 4-8 cell Rabbit: 8-cell Sheep: 16-cell What does make an egg good or bad? Which is the transcriptional identity of the developmentally competent egg ? Identify the presence of an OCT4‐transcriptional network (OCT4‐TN) in oocytes Oct4-TN Use of a model study in which MII oocytes cease development at the 2‐cell stage Chromatin organisation of oocytes during folliculogenesis Type 6 Type 5b Type 5a Type 7 Type 4 large follicles Type 3b medium follicles Type 8 Type 3a small follicles Type 2 Type 1 Pedersen & Peters, 1968 Type 8 NSN SN Not Surrounded Nucleolus Surrounded Nucleolus Not Stresa Stresa DEVELOPMENTALDEVELOPMENTAL COMPETENCE COMPETENCE NSN SN MIINSN MIISN What does determine the 2‐cell block in mouse MIINSN oocytes? Maternal‐effect factors? Down‐regulation of maternal‐effect gene expression blocks preimplantation development (27 maternal‐effect genes) Stella (Dppa3) Zar1 Npm2 Smarca4 (Brg1) Prei3 Stella gene expression is down‐regulated in MIINSN oocytes 9, 64, 2007 STELLA functions at the 1‐cell stage to protect against demethylation of the maternal genome and some paternal imprinted genes Lack of STELLA in MII oocytes blocks preimplantation development … and STELLA protein? STELLA protein expression is down‐regulated in GV‐NSN and MIINSN oocytes GV MII In ES cells OCT4 regulates the expression of STELLA Lack of OCT4 changes the chromatin organisation at the Nanog locus containing Stella and down‐regulates its expression Stella Foxj2 Stella Foxj2 Levasseur et al., Genes & Dev.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalian Fertilisation Mechanisms
    84 Nature Vol. 270 3 November 1977 loose pages. In the two fields of viro­ wide or high enough. Perhaps fewer logy and cell culture the speed of methods, just as examples, but a much advance of methods is very fast, much deeper and wider discussion on the Resource and faster than that of ideas. Thus, a current problems of virology and on Environmental manual on methods requires contin­ how those methods contributed to uous updating. solving them, would have made the Sciences Series Even the short time between going book more stimulating. The student is to press and publication has had this much more helped by making him General Editors: Sir Alan undesirable effect. Two examples: the interested enough to look up the Cottrell FRS and Professor by pro­ procedures for cell fusion stop at the literature on procedures than T. R. E. Southwood FRS (doubtfully practical) use of lysole­ viding him with ready-made recipes of cithin (1972); that is, before the intro­ very short half-life. As it is, this book duction of polyethyleneglycol; and in will be more valuable as a source of A new series of texts the section on "Macromolecular references in the libraries of research catering for the needs of the Analysis", sequencing of viral DNA laboratories than as a laboratory growing number of students genomes by means of restriction endo­ manual at the bench, or as reading for taking environmental nucleases is not even mentioned. postgraduate students. science courses at university This book thus falls between two G. Pontecorvo and providing excellent stools.
    [Show full text]
  • F(L P)-1 12 DAVID G
    Heredity (1974), 32 (1), 11-34 THEORETICALSEX RATIOS OF DIOECIOUS AND GYNODIOECIOUS ANGIOSPERMS DAVID G. LLOYD Botany Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Received3.1.73 SUMMARY The following parameters affecting the frequency of male and female plants in sexually dimorphic Angiosperms are defined: relative fecundity (as seed parent), F, differential survival, S, and gamete success, G, all as male/female quotients, and the probability of fertilisation of ovules on female plants, in terms of the number of pollinator visits to the flowers, x. Four different modes of inheritance of gynodioecy and dioecy are examined: (a) Heterozygous female model—female Mm, male mm. (b) Dual male model—female mm, male MM and Mm. (c) Heterozygous male model—female mm, male Mm only. (d) Cytoplasmic inheritance. The equilibrium frequencies of females and (for three models) the rates of change in female frequency per generation at non-equilibrium frequencies are expressed in terms of the controlling parameters. The conditions necessary for sexual dimorphism and the changes in fre- quencies of the sex genotypes as the number of pollinator visits increase and the relative seed fecundity decreases towards zero (dioecy) are derived for each model. Differential survival of the sexes (and differential gamete success in the heterozygous male model) cause an increase at equilibrium in the sex surviving more frequently or the sex derived from the more successful gamete. In a dioecious population, the ratio of the sexes is equal to their relative survival or their relative gamete success. Populations at non-equilibrium frequencies return more rapidly to equilibrium with the heterozygous male model than with the heterozygous female and cytoplasmic models.
    [Show full text]
  • Embryo–Epithelium Interactions During Implantation at a Glance John D
    © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | Journal of Cell Science (2017) 130, 15-22 doi:10.1242/jcs.175943 SPECIAL ISSUE 3D CELL BIOLOGY CELL SCIENCE AT A GLANCE Embryo–epithelium interactions during implantation at a glance John D. Aplin* and Peter T. Ruane ABSTRACT specific adhesion molecules. We compare the rodent data with our At implantation, with the acquisition of a receptive phenotype in the much more limited knowledge of the human system, where direct uterine epithelium, an initial tenuous attachment of embryonic mechanistic evidence is hard to obtain. In the accompanying poster, – trophectoderm initiates reorganisation of epithelial polarity to enable we represent the embryo epithelium interactions in humans and stable embryo attachment and the differentiation of invasive laboratory rodents, highlighting similarities and differences, as well as trophoblasts. In this Cell Science at a Glance article, we describe depict some of the key cell biological events that enable interstitial cellular and molecular events during the epithelial phase of implantation to occur. implantation in rodent, drawing on morphological studies both in vivo and in vitro, and genetic models. Evidence is emerging for a repertoire of transcription factors downstream of the master steroidal KEY WORDS: Adhesion, Blastocyst, Endometrium, Epithelium, regulators estrogen and progesterone that coordinate alterations in Trophoblast epithelial polarity, delivery of signals to the stroma and epithelial cell death or displacement. We discuss what is known of the cell Introduction interactions that occur during implantation, before considering Implantation is the stage of pregnancy at which stable adhesion is initiated between the embryo and maternal tissue. Blastocyst-stage embryos hatch from the zona pellucida, exposing trophectoderm – Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 which forms the primary interface with the endometrial epithelium.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalian Gametogenesis to Implantation - Elena De La Casa Esperón, Ananya Roy
    REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT BIOLOGY - Mammalian Gametogenesis to Implantation - Elena de la Casa Esperón, Ananya Roy MAMMALIAN GAMETOGENESIS TO IMPLANTATION Elena de la Casa Esperón and Ananya Roy Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, USA Keywords: gametogenesis, germ cells, fertilization, embryo, cleavage, implantation, meiosis, recombination, epigenetic reprogramming, X-chromosome inactivation, imprinting. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Origin and development of germ cells 2.1. Migration of the Primordial Germ Cells towards the Gonad 3. Germ cell-differentiation: Gametogenesis and meiosis 3.1. Meiosis: The Formation of Haploid Gametes 3.1.1. Crossover and Recombination: The Basis of Genetic Variability 3.2. Sexual Dimorphism- Oogenesis vs. Spermatogenesis 3.3. Meiosis Success in Males and Females and Its Consequences 4. The encounter of egg and sperm: fertilization 5. The first days of an embryo: cleavage to blastocyst 6. The first direct interaction with the mother: implantation 7. Preimplantation variations: monozygotic twins, chimeric embryos and transgenic animals 8. The genetics of preimplantation: how early development is regulated from the nucleus 8.1. From Two Gametes’ Nuclei to a New Being: Genome Activation 8.2. Imprinting and Epigenetic Reprogramming: Chromatin Modifications that Separate Parental Genomes and Create Totipotent Cells 8.2.1. X-Chromosome Transcription: Inactivation and Reactivation 9. Conclusions and future perspectives Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketches Summary UNESCO – EOLSS The origin of new live beings and the events that occur before birth have been the object of fascination andSAMPLE discussion over the centu ries.CHAPTERS Our concept of two cells, ovum and sperm, fusing to generate a zygote, then an embryo and finally a new individual, is relatively new; as it is the idea of two sets of chromosomes carrying the genetic information inherited from each parent and being coordinated to generate something new and different.
    [Show full text]
  • Fertilisation and Contraception
    Fertilisation and contraception Learning objectives 1. To know the terms fertilisation and contraception 2. To understand the process of fertilisation in human beings 3. PSHE: To be able to explain how strong emotions can have positive and negative effects on the way we all make decisions and choices Key words: Name as many key words associated with fertilisation and contraception as you can think of. Link - starter Link - starter Link - starter Link - starter Achieve – Main task KEY POINTS -Fertilisation happens when an egg cell meets with a sperm cell and joins with it. -This happens after sexual intercourse in which a man puts his penis into the woman's vagina. -Sperm cells travel in semen from the penis and into the Main task Main top of the vagina. – - - They enter the uterus through the cervix and travel to the egg tubes. - If a sperm cell meets with an egg cell there, fertilisation can happen. Achieve Achieve TASK • Examples of contraceptive methods have been placed around the room • Your task is to explore the room and complete the worksheet identifying ‘How each type of contraceptive works’ THINK ABOUT WHERE IN THE REPRODUCTIVE PROCESStask Main THE METHOD ACTS – • Gold: What are the advantages of each different method of contraception. Use this to write a PEE chain justifying which you think is the best method of contraception Achieve Achieve Point: I think that the best method of contraception is.. Evidence: Demonstrate Explain: – Review Review What makes a good parent? Find out in S1 in your next session Next lesson..... Next Extra Slides Sex cells - Sperm In males the sex cells are called sperm.
    [Show full text]